#dess fictive

⚔️ So, it's definitely too early to speculate on why they had that particular dream?

🐦 It certainly sets the tone of feeling out of place. If we simply started the game waking up as Kris, there wouldn't be much thought of it. Instead, we just got our first real choice taken away, and no matter what vessel you ended up making, Kris themself is always going to not resemble it just enough as to be uncanny. There is already a disconnect, which will become more important later

𐂂 T0RIEL IS JUST CR0N0'S M0M HERE, ISN'T SHE?

⚔️ True, now that you mention it. There's also the fact that, originally when this was just survey_program, people didn't even know it was Undertale related, so seeing Toriel was a warm surprise. Which, despite the disorientation of the goner maker sequence switch, just about everyone playing Deltarune for the first time is happy to see Toriel, so that's something you and Kris already have in common

⚔️ Anyway, let's start off by going over all the different items in Asriel's drawer, depending on our file

⚔️ The one most people will likely see. As if we needed further proof of his extra curricular activities given all those trophies

𐂂 DAMN I 90T THE B0RIN9EST 0NE (THE J0KE IS ALL HIS HAIRCUTS WERE EMBARRASSIN9)

🐦 Meanwhile this one's easily the best. What an auspicious start!

⚔️ In keeping with how disorienting this opening is, the narration is comparably detached and unfamiliar. "* Clothes drawer", "* Your bed", "* It's stained" (the most suspicious one!) Except for that birdcage, which earns a few comments on its appearance and apparent age.

🐦 Such a clear difference shown here between Frisk/Chara of Undertale and Kris. We've gone from an almost amused-sounding "It's you!" to "* It's only you."

⚔️ Is it supposed to show they didn't recognize themselves at first?

🐦 Hmm, I doubt it, there's no hesitation like when they searched the drawer. It's possible they simply don't see anything worth admiring

𐂂 THAT REALLY SUCKS, KRIS I KN0W WHAT'LL CHEER Y0U UP

𐂂 HELL YEAH! IT EVEN HAS A VICT0RY JIN9LE!

𐂂 DAMN, H0W MUCH IS MY M0M PAYIN9 Y0U, KRIS?

🐦 You have like 2 whole dollars on you

𐂂 ... FINE

⚔️ I did notice how that narration for the toilet was in parentheses. What's up with that?

⚔️ The other instances in the house aren't for interactive items like the toilet. They both give insight into small details of life, like the different shaped gingerbread cookie cutters, and the living room chair's nickname

🐦 Whereas the non-parenthetical narration seems somehow less familiar again with the subject matter. They recognize their family, but don't know why the trashcan smells like flowers. And it's interesting how one recalled the nickname of the chair, and even notes how beloved it is, yet the other sees the TV is unplugged like they're not even sure

𐂂 S0 WHAT IS IT, THEY HAVE MEM0RY 9APS 0R S0METHIN9?

🐦 It's too early to tell... but we'll have to keep an eye out for which one says what in the future

⚔️ Real quick aside, for the longest time I thought there was something off about this text, somehow I thought the letters for "ASRIEL" were shaking very slightly. I've rewatched multiple footage sources, and that doesn't seem to be the case, it's perfectly normal text

🐦 Still interesting how it's all caps. But then, it's a big thing to drop on 2018 Undertale fans that not only do we seem to be on the surface, but Asriel is alive and in college. Never fails to make someone do a double take their first time playing

⚔️ We get a picture of Kris's relationship with Toriel, who is very particular with how she mothers them. Between driving them to school when their town is like a football field in length (granted they were late I guess), and then holding their hand to walk them in to school, it strikes her as seeing them as needing a lot of attention and care as if they were a younger or more accident-prone child. They even look embarrassed having to hold her hand, the poor thing

⚔️ Also note Kris's much stiffer posture as Toriel hugs them. As if they've glued their arms to the sides with no intention of returning the hug. It's very hard to say if they enjoy it from her or not, but they do seem to relax immediately after. Regardless, they don't seem to be a "huggy" person

𐂂 CAN C0NFIRM, THEY ALWAYS PREFERRED N0T T0 BE T0UCHED. WELL, EXCEPT WHEN R0U9HH0USIN9. THEY L0VED EVERY MINUTE 0F THAT

⚔️ ... didn't you used to beat them with a bat?

𐂂 WHATCHA 90NNA D0, CALL THE C0PS? IT WAS A WIFFLE BAT I HAD SINCE I WAS LIKE, SIX, THEY WERE FINE. AND THAT'S 0NLY IF THEY MESSED WITH ELLY. NAH, THE WRESTLIN9, THE SPARRIN9, THE PAINTBALL MATCHES, THAT WAS PART 0F 0UR WARRI0R B0ND. S0METHIN9 WE B0TH, LIKE, NEEDED, THAT 0NLY THE 0THER UNDERST00D. Y0U SH0ULD 9ET IT, AREN'T Y0U A KNI9HT T00?

⚔️ I don't make it a habit of sparring with kids half my age, but. Well, I won't judge. You do, you, I suppose

⚔️ For some reason the parentheses are the only narration that comments on things in the classroom, both in the environment and with their classmates. They can be funny with it too!

𐂂 I ALREADY WANNA START BUSTIN9 HEADS IN THIS CLASS

⚔️ It is quite sad, though. Kris has apparently been left out of group projects enough that Toriel has taken to being their partner, which. Gives an idea of where they stand in the class. While not all of the other students are just AWFUL to them like Berdly is here, they at least clearly only associate with Kris as a fellow classmate, and even if over half of them are apologetic about not being able to have them as a partner, they still don't seem to count them as a significant friend

🐦 Well, all except for one

🐦 There she is! Noelle you're my favorite!

𐂂 NEVERMIND HEAD BUSTIN9 CAN WAIT, HI ELLY! ER9H, WHY CAN'T Y0U TELL HER AB0UT ME, KRIS!? THIS BETTER N0T BE H0W IT IS THE WH0LE 9AME 0R I'LL BE PISSED

⚔️ So given the choice between being in a pity party with... ugh, Berdly, or partnering with their mom again, they go for the marginally less embarrassing option

🐦 Also, first mention of a group of 3

⚔️ But of course, then Susie enters, and given she had (apparently) swiped the chalk yesterday, we start our ill-fated trip with her to the storage closet to get more. Even though Noelle volunteers, she doesn't ask in time before Alphys decides to send Kris with her

𐂂 I ALREADY CAN'T STAND HER... HEY! HANDS 0FF MY KRISMAS, BITCH! KRIS, C'MON FI9HT BACK, KICK HER 0R S0METHIN9. I CAN'T D0 ANYTHIN9 IF Y0U D0N'T LET ME!

🐦 This seems to be a pattern with them. Later on you can even drink from the fountain, which causes Susie to comment that people put their mouth on that, and if you just go for another drink she says how that wasn't encouragement. All in all, very much in line with that short story from Noelle's blog, where Susie threw an apple at them, and they just caught it and took a bite out of it

𐂂 ... WELL, SHE SEEMS ALL BARK F0R N0W. BUT I 90T MY EYE 0N HER

⚔️ I think now is a good time to bring up a little game we'll be playing throughout this whole series, for everyone of us who has seen up to chapter 4, simply called:

⚔️ What Was Kris's Plan Here?

🐦 Good point. We know later on that there is at least some communication between them and the Phone Voice. The thing is, we have no idea when that started, and what the particulars are. However, I think I can make a pretty safe guess as to what it was TODAY

🐦 In short: Nothing. Unless they anticipated that Susie would steal the chalk, which we have no indication of, they were perfectly happy with making a team of Noelle and Berdly. Presumably to start working on whatever project they were. What's interesting to me is:

🐦 The way they take a step back when Susie encourages them to go in. We know that there is a Dark World in the shelter, which also has two doors that open. And here they stand, a smaller human and a larger monster, facing the darkness together. Could it be that this feels familiar to them? Dess, how are you feeling about all this?

𐂂 H0NESTLY N0T THAT MUCH. I'M M0RE 0F KRIS'S IDEA 0F WH0 DESS WAS, AND WHILE I'D UR9E THEM CAUTI0N, I'M N0T 90NNA BE A BABY AND CHICKEN 0UT 0R ANYTHIN9. WISH I HAD A S0LID BAT TH0U9H... HEY, WHY D0N'T WE 0WN A BAT? LIKE, IN REAL LIFE? I MISS CARRYIN9 0NE

⚔️ Dess, we live in the city, it's not a good idea to just carry something like that around like you're going to start trouble. This isn't a quiet suburb where everyone's too polite to say anything There's gangs here, etc.

𐂂 WHATEVER, I'LL SETTLE F0R THE P0CKET KNIFE THEN

⚔️ Suddenly...!

🐦 Kris doing that "I guess this is how I die" pose. Maybe going limp you're more likely not to die on impact.

⚔️ And thus we finally enter the Dark World for the first time, which... Hey. Kaylin, I just remembered, we didn't get any updates on what you've been doing this whole sequence, other than the drawer. What decisions did you make?

🐦 Oh, that's easy:

🐦 Since you both already finished before me I just went to sleep right away

🐦 Aaaand instantly caught up with you guys! I must have gone unconscious and let Kris front all through school, and now that we're here, it's my turn!

⚔️ Well, that's as good a time to end this part, because it's a good cliffhanger and also we are at our image limit! Again! We're working on that in case you couldn't tell, expect us combining lots of screenshots into single images, especially dialogue chains which are very easy to group up. We are still figuring out how to do this series, so any comments on the last few parts are welcome, as we try to fine tune and improve our style with each update

🐦 Sadly, we may have to go on just a bit of a hiatus, as, with the latest update from Toby Fox talking about final testing for chapter 5 beginning and being completed within April, we are kinda on a time crunch to complete ALL THREE of our playthroughs up through chapter 4 before it drops. So, we will be focusing on that from now until we are literally done, then hopefully continuing this series before the chapter drops. If we don't finish it before chapter 5 is out, that's alright; we'll just Proceed with full knowledge of chapter 5, once we've completed it. Which will probably change our commentary QUITE a bit. We will almost certainly not go back and edit or redo the chapter 1-4 era parts, not unless something major happens that changes our assumptions (and even then we might just leave them be, and only include our insight on parts we work on post-chapter 5)

⚔️ For now, thank you for reading, especially if you're still with us at the end here. And remember: